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To all those DIY'ers out there, I need help making a decision...
Freeze Dried Food vs Dehydrated Food:
Which is better when you consider - being easier, tastier and cost efficient?
What types of food/meals can you prep?
How long do they store?
Where can I get my hands on equipment? Or do I even need equipment?
After you store them, if there were ever a situation when you had to use it, how do you prepare it?
I also plan to do some canning this year. I don't know how long canned goods will last if I do it on my own but I've heard they last a lot longer than store bought canned goods. Right?!
Let me ask this... Don't judge I know it's very unhealthy, I plan to find an alternative, but my son (me too) loves ramen noodles. Is there a way to recreate this if I prep?
Feel free to post your favorite and most helpful links!
THX!
Last edited by JuniPearl; 03-19-2014 at 03:22 PM..
Actually we purchased recently 1000 meals from Food For Health via the Jim Bakker Show and had an opportunity
to delve into its dehydrated process whereby they actually add nutrients and the food has although meatless a 20
year shelf life. We also had a chance to taste the food by adding hot water and found it delicious. During a terrible
storm here in Wisconsin and sub zero temps, we found ourselves out of food and we resorted to our emergency supply.
It was great and I'm purchasing a newer variety of foods including powered vegetables and fruit a technology just off the line (all natural and totally real veggies and fruit!) Disaster smoothies!!!!
Actually we purchased recently 1000 meals from Food For Health via the Jim Bakker Show and had an opportunity
to delve into its dehydrated process whereby they actually add nutrients and the food has although meatless a 20
year shelf life. We also had a chance to taste the food by adding hot water and found it delicious. During a terrible
storm here in Wisconsin and sub zero temps, we found ourselves out of food and we resorted to our emergency supply.
It was great and I'm purchasing a newer variety of foods including powered vegetables and fruit a technology just off the line (all natural and totally real veggies and fruit!) Disaster smoothies!!!!
I've considered purchasing meals before but they are so pricey. I've always been afraid that I'd buy something and when I needed to use it I'd realize it tasted like cardboard. Lol.
You said you recentely purchased 1000 meals and you also resorted to eating some of them during a storm you had. So how old was your supply? I'm just wondering if they lose any flavor the longer they sit.
Dehydrating is pretty easy to do, you can do it just using the sun and a sheet of cardboard.
Depending on how dry you get it, and how you store it, I have used dehydrated onions that I did at home 4 years after processing, and they were fine.
For something like meat, even vacuume sealed, I probably would use within 2 years.
To reconstitute, I just throw it in the pot to cook with some liquid.
Now salted is a different story. You need to soak salted meat overnight in fresh water, change the water and soak again, 3 times total before you remove enough salt to make the meat palatable. Salted meat in a cool dark place will last for a couple years usually, no problem.
If you decide to air dry, making a heavy wire frame and using cheesecloth to support it or a window screen works just fine as long as you have direct sunlight. In humid areas you will need to bring it in at night or it will start to rehydrate and probably mold.
The commercial driers use electric elements to keep the product at an even temperature and the length of time you leave it in will determine how dry it is, and how long it will keep. Crisp dry holds the best and if you vacume seal it into plastic it will last even longer.
Jerking meat entails salt or salt brine in combination with dehydrating, and usually some moisture is left in the meat so it should be refrigerated or frozen as it will spoil at room temperature.
If you jerk it to crisp dry, it will last longer and work well in soups and stews or other dishes whre it has a chance to reconstitute, but while it can be eaten straight, well, be prepared to do a lot of chewing
I dehydrate a lot of my garden produce like green peppers, onions, tomatoes, herbs and they do great, store for a long time and taste fine when you use them.
Still having problems with starchy vegetables like potatoes, they don't like to reconstitute in a manner that lets you eat them without lots of tobasco and gravy.....
Dehydrating is a lot of fun, easy, and a great way to store produce.
Never did much with freeze dry so can't help you there.
Dehydrating is pretty easy to do, you can do it just using the sun and a sheet of cardboard.
Depending on how dry you get it, and how you store it, I have used dehydrated onions that I did at home 4 years after processing, and they were fine.
For something like meat, even vacuume sealed, I probably would use within 2 years.
To reconstitute, I just throw it in the pot to cook with some liquid.
Now salted is a different story. You need to soak salted meat overnight in fresh water, change the water and soak again, 3 times total before you remove enough salt to make the meat palatable. Salted meat in a cool dark place will last for a couple years usually, no problem.
If you decide to air dry, making a heavy wire frame and using cheesecloth to support it or a window screen works just fine as long as you have direct sunlight. In humid areas you will need to bring it in at night or it will start to rehydrate and probably mold.
The commercial driers use electric elements to keep the product at an even temperature and the length of time you leave it in will determine how dry it is, and how long it will keep. Crisp dry holds the best and if you vacume seal it into plastic it will last even longer.
Jerking meat entails salt or salt brine in combination with dehydrating, and usually some moisture is left in the meat so it should be refrigerated or frozen as it will spoil at room temperature.
If you jerk it to crisp dry, it will last longer and work well in soups and stews or other dishes whre it has a chance to reconstitute, but while it can be eaten straight, well, be prepared to do a lot of chewing
I dehydrate a lot of my garden produce like green peppers, onions, tomatoes, herbs and they do great, store for a long time and taste fine when you use them.
Still having problems with starchy vegetables like potatoes, they don't like to reconstitute in a manner that lets you eat them without lots of tobasco and gravy.....
Dehydrating is a lot of fun, easy, and a great way to store produce.
Never did much with freeze dry so can't help you there.
Good Luck
Thank you so much for the helpful info. I will have to try this. I live in the country, stray animals are frequent around here. I will have to keep my eye on the food when it's outside and bring it in at night.
As far as I know, you can't make freeze dried food at home. It takes specialized equipment that doesn't come in efficient inexpensive home use size.
Dehydrated food can be made at home. It's an efficient way to store home grown fruit and vegetables for future use.
I don't have any reason to think that home canned food will last any longer than commercially canned food, but you can can it just as you like it and the glass jar will not give the tinny taste that commercial cans often give to food.
As far as I know, you can't make freeze dried food at home. It takes specialized equipment that doesn't come in efficient inexpensive home use size.
Dehydrated food can be made at home. It's an efficient way to store home grown fruit and vegetables for future use.
I don't have any reason to think that home canned food will last any longer than commercially canned food, but you can can it just as you like it and the glass jar will not give the tinny taste that commercial cans often give to food.
Good to know. Thanks! Have you dehydrated foods other than fruits and veggies? Have you done any meat or other "meals"? If so, let me know how you did it. I'd like to get other peoples opinions on how to do it and what they used, liked, didn't like, how it went, never-try-again's, etc.
Actually we purchased recently 1000 meals from Food For Health via the Jim Bakker Show and had an opportunity
to delve into its dehydrated process whereby they actually add nutrients and the food has although meatless a 20
year shelf life. We also had a chance to taste the food by adding hot water and found it delicious. During a terrible
storm here in Wisconsin and sub zero temps, we found ourselves out of food and we resorted to our emergency supply.
It was great and I'm purchasing a newer variety of foods including powered vegetables and fruit a technology just off the line (all natural and totally real veggies and fruit!) Disaster smoothies!!!!
You're fortunate to have found what works for you. Why not post a link? Do they have sample packs?
I keep Mountain House freeze-dried meals but I get them in small packs. Although the envelopes only have three year shelf lives I've eaten them five years past the expiration date with no loss of color or flavor.
Quote:
Originally Posted by JuniPearl
I also plan to do some canning this year. I don't know how long canned goods will last if I do it on my own but I've heard they last a lot longer than store bought canned goods. Right?!
They may or may not last longer in terms of palatability. Do add citric acid to provide an acidic environment which prevents botulism. The first step is to learn. Find out if your extension service offers classes and definitely get some books. Also, consider pickling.
Let me ask this... Don't judge I know it's very unhealthy, I plan to find an alternative, but my son (me too) loves ramen noodles. Is there a way to recreate this if I prep?
Feel free to post your favorite and most helpful links!
THX!
Get some food safe containers. Pack your Ramen noodles and any other prepared products you wish to store. Add some dry ice to the bucket. As the dry ice sublimates the oxygen will be forced out, replaced by the heavier CO[SIZE=2]2. [/SIZE]
They may or may not last longer in terms of palatability. Do add citric acid to provide an acidic environment which prevents botulism. The first step is to learn. Find out if your extension service offers classes and definitely get some books. Also, consider pickling.
Get some food safe containers. Pack your Ramen noodles and any other prepared products you wish to store. Add some dry ice to the bucket. As the dry ice sublimates the oxygen will be forced out, replaced by the heavier CO[SIZE=2]2. [/SIZE]
Good to know. Thanks! Have you dehydrated foods other than fruits and veggies? Have you done any meat or other "meals"?.........
I mostly dehydrate fruit. All veggies can be dehydtrated, and I dry a lot of mushrooms, but unless we are going backpacking, my family prefers fresh veggies. There is no reason that vegetables can't be dried, though. with the exception that some of the really watery veggies don't dry well. Dehydrated lettuce is a loser.
Also, it is cheaper to buy dehydrated potatoes. That's what those instant mashed potatoes are. They also come in dried slices for making scalloped potatoes. Well dried and cheaper than fresh potatoes (unless you are growing your own). Every gorcery store sells them.
I dry a lot of beef, venison, and elk, but my family is crazy for jerky and they can munch their way through 5 pounds of beef as it comes off the drier.
If you are going to make jerky, use a light hand with salt and spices, because those will become concentrated as the meat dries and shrinks. Usually, I just sprinkle Lawry's Season Salt on the meat and put it into the dryer. One family member likes cracked black pepper on his. You can marinate the meat in teriyaki sauce, but again, use a light hand.
The best food dehydrator is a gas oven with a full time pilot light. There aren't many of those around any more. The electric food dehydrators work fine. I intend to build a solar dehydrator as soon as my fruit crop gets big enough that we don't eat it all fresh. I've pick fruit varieties that give us fresh fruit from May to a couple of weeks past the first freezes. Apples and pears store fresh for a couple more months after that.
The dried fruit gets used as snacks, or it can be cooked with.
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I know it's very unhealthy, I plan to find an alternative, but my son (me too) loves ramen noodles. Is there a way to recreate this if I prep?
